What a difference three months make.  As Adlai Stevenson University students return to classes, Donald Trump is now the Republican Party’s nominee to be the President of the United States, and Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.  Green party candidate, Jill Stein, and libertarian party candidate, Gary Johnson are both hoping to participate in the Presidential debates on September 26, October 9, and October 19^th, but will probably fail to garner 15% standing in the national polls to qualify.  (SU will have debate watching parties in Rockland hall, and a student debate on October 26).  Be prepared for some fireworks.

The national elections are crowding out other news stories:  A cease-fire in the war in Syria.  England leaving the European Economic Union; the spread of the Zika virus that causes microcephaly (small heads) in new-born infants.  Fires in California, Floods in Louisiana and Ellicott City.  The good news is, you can still find cute cat videos on Youtube.

One of the best classes at Adlai Stevenson University is called a History of Now, in which students research and write on recent events in the news.  The subjects they have written on so far include police brutality, Hillary’s health, and White Nationalists who support Donald Trump.

Karalyn writes:  Right now fourteen billion dollars are stranded out at sea. Hanjin Shipping Company, from South Korea, filed for bankruptcy and left eighty-five to ninety shipping vessels to fend for themselves. The company is five billion dollars in debt, and can not afford to dock the vessels which means they have the boats circling the oceans or anchored down. The crews are still aboard the ships and are running out of food, fuel, and water.

(Your Christmas presents may not arrive until next Spring.)

J.P. writes:  The human race is hunting and destroying the habitats of one of its own species. One of the world’s largest living primates (Eastern Gorilla) has been put on the critically endangered list. There have been reported illegal hunting expeditions and also the destruction of the habitats of these animals. There are many efforts to conserve the eastern gorilla population and it has been evident that these efforts are working, but there must be a continuous effort to educate people and make them aware of what is occurring in our wildlife. “To see the eastern gorilla – one of our closest cousins – slide toward extinction is truly distressing” (Inger Anderson). Today, there have been an estimated 5,000 eastern gorillas in the wild, which is a decline of nearly 70 percent over the past 20 years. The world must become more educated on how we as a human race can preserve our wild life and protect or ecosystem. It is vital for humans to understand how our planet operates. Also we must continue our efforts to preserve the world and spread awareness of this important topic. We as a human race will continue to destroy our world if we do not make changes to the environment that we live in.